


I'll Come Home

by MCUsic_to_my_ears



Series: Avengers Pride Month 2020 [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adoption, Fatherhood, Gay Pride, Insecure Tony Stark, Iron Zucchini, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Pride, Queerplatonic Relationships, qpr, zucchini - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24973648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCUsic_to_my_ears/pseuds/MCUsic_to_my_ears
Summary: Jim and Tony don't know what their relationship is, but they know what they want to do with it.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, or something in between those two
Series: Avengers Pride Month 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769038
Comments: 4
Kudos: 87





	I'll Come Home

Jim was three days into his leave when Tony brought it up with Don't Ask, Don't Tell was still breathing down their "officially roommates" necks. Jim hated it. They weren't just roommates. Tony asking if Jim wanted to raise a child with him negated that. But they weren't dating. They weren't even having sex. Tony was attracted to anything with legs, but after the early days of their… whatever it was with Jim not reciprocating, he'd turned his attention elsewhere. 

Raising a child… Tony had asked it as if they were buying a goldfish. 

Not friends, not boyfriends… And Jim had no plans on proposing. Pepper called them platonic soulmates and that fit well enough. Except for the damn kid. 

And Jim wanted it. He'd wanted to be a dad after meeting his first baby cousin. He wanted to impart everything he'd learned. He wanted to be saving the world for something more than an excuse to fly. 

"I don't think any adoption agency would let you past the front door," Jim informed Tony. The number of missions Jim had flown and the number of drunk and disorderly charges Tony had were both equally high. 

The billionaire grinned. "But I have such a good character witness." 

Jim didn’t let him detour their conversation. "Why do you want to be a dad all of the sudden?" 

Tony shrugged. "I've been building. Every night that you're overseas, I build and code until my eyes bleed. When you're not here, everything blurs even sober. When you are, everything is so clear. I touch down again." Tony bit his lip. "I think that a kid would be a good reason to stay present." 

"Why not a dog though?" Jim pressed. Tony could be responsible when necessary, but a kid? Jim trusted Tony. He knew him better than he knew himself. Tony didn't want to be a parent. In college, those late nights when Tony spoke about his own father… Tony was terrified of becoming a monster. Even to prove Howard wrong, Tony was unwilling to endanger a child if he thought there was a slight chance his father had forged him into his own image. No, Tony didn't want a kid. It was something else, Jim decided. 

"You're allergic to dogs," Tony argued. He sighed, letting all pretenses drop out of him. "You would come home more if we had a baby," he admitted. "These no contact missions are killing me. And when you are home, but we're in public, we're both so paranoid about looking gay that we barely breathe in the same direction. The government already knows I'm a homosexual, Jim. They've had that one marked down for years. If they were going to make it your problem, they would have already. It doesn't take a genius to realize that your 'apartment' in Queens is a halfway house for homeless trans teens." Tony closed his eyes. "I don't know what I'm trying to say." 

Jim interlaced their fingers and rested their foreheads together in a practiced move. They inhaled together, slowing down Tony’s racing mind. "You want to get a kid so that I'll come around more," he broached once Tony’s eyes fluttered shut. 

Tony nodded, mouth in a firm line. 

"I want to be a dad, Tones.” Jim spoke at low, soothing volume. He refused to give any room for misinterpretation for Tony’s anxiety to run with. “And I love you, whatever that means. I want to be home. I want to be with you. Raising a child with you would be a dream come true. But I don't want to jeopardize my career. I love flying." 

"I'll buy you a plane," Tony blurted, jerking his head back to peer into Jim’s eyes. He blushed at the sudden display, but Jim squeezed his fingers in assurance. 

Jim rubbed the back of Tony's hand with his thumb. "I'm not asking you to." Tony opened his mouth to protest, but Jim cut him off. "I want to try and do this, but I want to be smart about it. Talk to the lawyers, get us in the clear." 

"We get a surrogate," Tony offered softly. "Get her loads of NDAs and cash. Tell the tabloids I knocked her up—hell, I'll actually knock her up for authenticity if you want. No need for adoption agencies getting up in our grill. I knock a girl up, I have a child, and you happen to stay with me when you're on leave. You're their second emergency contact at school and you pick them up from practice sometimes and you tell bedtime stories and wipe away tears after break ups and-" 

Jim framed Tony's face to quiet him for a moment. "You've really thought this through, huh?"

"I want you home. I'm selfish. This kid's a means to an end," Tony deflected. 

"And where are you in all this?" Jim asked instead, brimming with fond indulgence. 

"I'm… I'm-" Tony let a content look overtake his features again. "I'm helping glue together a science fair project and buying a third pair of shoes because they just keep growing. First steps, first words, first dates, first day of college. I want this, Jim. I didn't think I ever would, but with you, I do. I want to see your pep talks and I want to know what warrants grounding and time outs." Tony shrugged. "It’s hopeless. I’m hopeless." 

"Not quite," Jim promised. "We want this. Tony, we want this," he assured the other. "We'll talk to the lawyers. We'll find some nice, smart girl. We'll get a baby." 

"And you'll come home?"

"I'll come home," Jim promised. 

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact: DADT was repealed the same year that the term "queerplatonic" was first coined. Somewhere down the line, our boys will find the term, but not in this fic. 
> 
> Also, am I heavily projecting about me and my QPP? Yes. Do I care? No. 
> 
> Happy Pride! Black Lives Matter! Stay safe!


End file.
